James Holmes: Psychiatrist Contacted Police Weeks Before Massacre

Dr. Lynne Fenton, the psychiatrist treating Colorado shooter James Holmes and a key member of the University of Colorado Risk Assessment Team, contacted university police with concerns weeks before he walked into a crowded movie theater, ruthlessly killed 12 people and injured 58 others, reports ABC News.

According to experts, her concerns must have been dire to break doctor-client confidentially.

“For any physician to break doctor-patient confidentiality there would have to be an extremely good reason,” said Dr. Carol Bernstein, a psychiatrist at NYU Langone Medical Center and past president of the American Psychiatric Association.

ABC News and affiliate KMGH-TV in Denver first reported Wednesday that Fenton had contacted other members of the university’s threat-assessment team about her concerns. The university-wide, threat-assessment team reportedly never met to discuss Holmes after he announced his intent to withdraw from the University nearly six weeks before the July 20 shooting that left 12 dead and 58 injured.

University of Colorado spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery declined to comment on what, if anything, the university police officer might have done with information provided by Fenton, citing a court-issued gag order preventing her from confirming or denying any information related to Fenton or the investigation.

As previously reported by NewsOne, a package detailing Holmes’ violent plans was found in the university’s mail room days after the murders. According to reports, it had been sitting there for at least a week prior to the shooting. He was charged with 24 counts of murder and 114 counts of attempted murder.